There was cake, speeches and some tears as community members said goodbye to the Menlo Park City School District's beloved Superintendent Erik Burmeister, during a Dec. 15 board meeting. Burmeister's last day on the job is Dec. 31.

Former and current board members, community members and staff reflected on Burmeister's time with the district, with many complimenting his steady hand as the district navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. The district was the first in the Bay Area to reopen schools in-person, in part because of Burmeister's leadership, speakers said.

Trustee Sherwin Chen said the district's reopening plan became a blueprint for others, allowing other schools to join the district's virtual academy, establishing weekly COVID-19 testing for the community and hosting multiple successful vaccine clinics. Burmeister became known as the "(Anthony) Fauci of Menlo Park," Chen said.

"You led throughout in a style that strengthened the bonds between all the stakeholders during a time where districts were torn apart by the challenges they faced," Chen said. "I'm filled with a profound sense of respect and gratitude for everything you've done for the students. Hopefully you will have a little bit more work/life balance than we were willing to offer."

Burmeister is starting up his own consulting firm, Solutionary Advisors, when he leaves the district. He will offer public relations training, executive coaching and other services to schools, nonprofits and edtech companies.

Board President Dave Ackerman, who was a teacher before he became a school administrator and has spent 50 years in the education world, said he's worked with a lot of superintendents. Out of all of these leaders, he said that Burmeister, who also spent two years as the district's assistant superintendent and three years as Hillview Middle School's principal, worked the closest with teachers, helping them break old habits and think in new ways.

"You have been a true leader, a true innovator, someone who actually got things done," Ackerman said. "It's quite a legacy."

Kristen Gracia, who will take over the helm on Jan. 1, said Burmeister impressed her from the first day she met him. She had to pause during their first meeting and ask, "Are you real?"

"We've had so much fun together and given each other so many headaches at the same time," she said. "I'm proud of you. I'm happy for you. I'm so honored to follow you."

Former trustee Caroline Lucas said developing the teacher compensation philosophy was one of Burmeister's greatest contributions to the district. The philosophy, approved by the board in 2019, focuses on making the "recruitment, retention, and development of high-quality teachers" a high priority in a district that's difficult to afford to live in.

Others acknowledged that Burmeister helped contribute to getting two parcel taxes passed during his tenure: Measure X, passed in 2017 to retain high-quality teachers, programming and keep class sizes reasonable; and Measure B, passed in 2021 to replace Measure X.

After public comments, Burmeister said he hated the attention, but he accepted it because it was coming from people he loves and cares about very much.

"Through the most uncertain times, our culture of risk-taking was put to the test," he said. "We put the needs of children first. ... The truth is we could have gotten it wrong."

He closed by saying that public education is being tested in ways it hasn't in the past and people must continue to support public schools whether their children attend them or not.

A proclamation honoring Burmeister can be read

Watch a video of the board meeting here.

New school board member sworn in

At the same meeting, the board held a swearing in ceremony for new member Jed Scolnick and incumbents Scott Saywell and Chen to its governing board on Dec. 15. The election this fall was canceled because there were as many candidates as there were open seats.

Scolnick is a school volunteer, according to the nomination papers he filed to run for office.

Ackerman was elected board president for 2023 while Francesca Segrè will serve as vice president.